Enjoy some excellent video footage shot by N.O. Smith. Check out his Vimeo or Youtube for more!

NO Smith: These are some videos I shot over the weekend at Whartscape. I tried to shoot as many full sets as I could, and get at least a song or two of some other sets. Exhaustion prevented me from filming everything that I wanted to, but I think I got some good stuff. A personal favorite is the Dog Dick set. That might be my favorite set I’ve ever filmed.  Another gem I have is a video of a dude groovin hard to Boogie Boarder. Imagine Denny Bowen but more bro and strung out looking.

Photo credit: Flickr user Dorret

Hunting for safety from the sun’s rays made me feel something like an animal Sunday. I was leaning against the old rusted fence in the MICA parking lot, watching Santa Dads do their own thing–and it is totally theirs to keep, when I became aware of all the Wham City members working their butts off in the draining heat. I remember running into (who I believe was) Stefani Levin of Wham City at the Load of Fun on Saturday night. She was clearly fatigued, and (not knowing who she was) I asked “hell of a show, right?” She exhaled loudly and replied, “I’m working.” You might imagine what hell organizing and executing this monstrous Whartscape must have been. For those of us who attended, I think it’s time to give a quick thanks to the people that put this rad fest on.

Read the rest…

Walking into the MICA North Ave. parking lot was like stepping into an alternate universe to me. Accustomed to the outstandingly complete normalcy of Carroll County living, everything involved at Saturday’s Whartscape was akin to alien scenery in my eyes. If anyone attending knew who I was or what I looked like–and you probably didn’t, you crazy ass MICA kids, I apologize for probably having stared just a tad too much.

Read the rest…

Photo Credit: Joey P
AK Slaughter
Whartscape
MICA Parking Lot (North Ave)
Baltimore, MD
July 12, 2009

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Taper: Jeff Mewbourn (jm292@yahoo.com)

Download full set as MP3 or FLAC

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1. MP3: Egypt
2. MP3: Clap Attack
3. MP3: Wild Man
4. MP3: Tickle This Would Ya
5. MP3: Krush Groove
6. MP3: Mast Production

Notes:
Outdoors show/Stage B
Audience very chatty
Wind issues
SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC

Pleasant Livers
Whartscape
MICA Parking Lot (North Ave)
Baltimore, MD
July 11, 2009

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Transfer: NJB3>PC>SF-7>Wav>FLAC
Taper: Jeff Mewbourn (jm292@yahoo.com)

Download full set as MP3 or FLAC

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1. MP3: Big Headed Baby
2. MP3: Do The Wally
3. MP3: Sizzle In My Pants

Notes:
Outdoors show/Stage B
SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC

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MP3: DD/MM/YYYY – They

Anyone who showed up to last year’s Whartscape knows that DD/MM/YYYY kill onstage, same goes for those who saw them on tour with Videohippos in May. This bunch of experimental-rocking Canadians dropped their fourth release, Black Square, but only a few months ago. I thought it was pretty great. My email account caught up with theirs for a few questions fairly recently, here’s how it went down:

1. You guys were at Whartscape last year; care to describe the experience as a band?

-Whartscape last year was amazing. We got to see the killer whales, bird names, mae shi, and thank you.

2. What’s the biggest reason why everyone should go to Whartscape?

-so they can get freaky deaky to all the good bands playing.

3. What sort of reputation does Baltimore hold in Toronto, is it accurate?

-There are a lot of fans of all things baltimore in my group of friends. Personally, I think of it as a city without a large culture industry which allows creative people living there to not think about what is cool or contemporary and just do what they do which then makes it cool and contemporary. All the referentiality of extant culture without too much self consciousness that a larger city might breed. You will have to tell me if it is accurate.

4. If Baltimore were a comic in the New Yorker, what might be the caption?

-”I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”

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MP3: Double Dagger – Vivre Sans Temps Mort from More Record Release Show, Live @ Floristree

11. NO THROWING DRUMS INTO THE AUDIENCE

11. NO THROWING DRUMS INTO THE AUDIENCE

11. NO THROWING DRUMS INTO THE AUDIENCE

11. NO THROWING DRUMS INTO THE AUDIENCE

1. What is your most vivid memory of Whartscapes past? If this is your first time playing/attending, explain yourself/selves!

Nolen: Last year when loads of teenagers and local hipsters in often
intentionally-ridiculous outfits looked at me funny coz I had on white
pants and a polo.

Denny: When I stupidly threw that drum into the crowd last year. Good
thing there’s a rule about that this year. But I felt like total shit
after it happened. Also the first Whartscape where Kevin (from
Videohippos/Blood Baby) was rolling around on this really tall ladder
hooking stuff up admist the swarming drunk crowd.

2. Who are you most excited to see this year?

Nolen: The Dan Deacon Ensemble, coz even though Denny plays in it, I
still haven’t seen it live. They’re one of the only bands I’ll have
time to see as well because this is our last day of tour so we’re
getting to town after most of it’s already happened. As always I’m
stoked for Future Islands, too.

Denny: My bed, because I’ve been on tour for a long time and psyched
to nap it up in my own linens. Honestly, I can’t choose one thing,
there are a lot friends of mine that I’m excited to see play. Big Bear
should be sick, I haven’t seen them play since 2005, which also was
the first show that I saw Dan Deacon. It was a tense situation, but
that’s another story… I’m also excited to see if Narwhalz will
actually play beyond 2 minutes this time. I’m bummed I will miss the
New Flesh though.

3. Choose one word to describe Whartscape, and what it means to you.

Nolen: Sweaty. Sweaty shows are good shows.

Denny: Festivus. Because it’s for the rest of us.

4. When Wham City came calling and asked you to play, why did you say yes?

Nolen: Because they’ve asked us every other year and it’s always been
one of the most fun shows of the year.

Denny: You mean when they myspaced us? Yeah, it’s definitely a great
homecoming show. If we we said no, we would be total chumps.

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MP3: What Cheer? Brigade – Saiyan re Saiyan

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MP3: What Cheer? Brigade – Malaguena

Let my bias be known: I am a recovering marching band addict.  Tuba (not sousaphone mind you, those are for wusses) for three years, trombone for one.  It’s hard for me to watch groups like What Cheer! Brigade or Mucca Pazza and not get so amped that I want to run home and get my tuba.  They’ll likely be candidates for an exuberance award for this weekend.

Trumpeter Cordey checked in with us:

1. What is your most vivid memory of Whartscapes past? If this is your first time playing/attending, explain yourself/selves!

This will be our first Whartscape! All 18 of us! We are a big, fat 18-piece brass and percussion band from Providence, Rhode Island. Our music is a mix of Bollywood pop, traditional Balkan brass, New Orleans wango-chango, noise and metal, crabcore, etc. Although we are listed as a “marching band,” I hesitate to say we are one – we’re more like a mobile, party unit.

2. Who are you most excited to see this year?

I don’t know where the rest of my bandmates stand on this one, and it’s kinda hard to check in with all one-million of them. We’ll only be around on Saturday, so I’m gonna say I’m most excited to see Ponytail, C Spencer Yeh, and Ed Schrader. Haven’t had the chance to see them before. I’m also excited to see my friends EAR PWR again. HOLLA!!!!

3. Choose one word to describe Whartscape, and what it means to you.

Friends!  Whartscape, like life, is about playing music with your friends and for your friends. And this year it seems that everyone involved is a friend or a friend of a friend. Although it may seem that Whartscape carries connotations of cronyism, that’s okay – nothing is at risk here (except for potentially bad music).

4. When Wham City came calling and asked you to play, why did you say yes?

The lineup is killer; it shall be a blast. Everyone involved gets to play for new audiences, and everyone involved has the chance to be that new audience for everyone else involved. It’s kinda like that vicious cycle that goes: “I eat because I’m sad; I’m sad because I’m fat; I’m fat because I eat,” but instead of gaining weight, we’re all gaining, uh… fun!—

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MP3: The New Flesh – No Expectations

Baltimore punks The New Flesh will tear your ears off and spit in them if given the chance.  And I highly recommend letting them.

1. What is your most vivid memory of Whartscapes past? If this is your first time playing/attending, explain yourself/selves!

Seeing sunglasses and consuming energy drinks.

2. Who are you most excited to see this year?

Microkingdom, Pleasant Livers, Zomes

3. Choose one word to describe Whartscape, and what it means to you.

Sounds

4. When Wham City came calling and asked you to play, why did you say yes?

An offer I could not refuse

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MP3: Lo Moda – People Who Like Carolling

Lo Moda is one of the most mature projects on the Baltimore music scene in the sense that their music has transcended all those worries of early musicmaking, growing into something that is unique, complex and constantly evolving organically. Weird, experimental, “art-school” without any of the pretentious baggage that so often comes with that in youth.  For more in-depth on the process and history, check our interview.

Sadly, they had to pull out of Whartscape, but lead singer Peter Quinn (Candy Machine, INK) weighs in on the situation with some good news for those of you stuck in DC:

hey man, i love whartscape. we had  to back out of this year’s due to scheduling miscommunicaitons. but as a caveat, we’re playing the fringe in DC that night as well. my favorite whartscape memory is two years ago seeing double dagger rock it and see nolan leap on top of the crowd on the first note.

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MP3: Weekends – Pay Per View Dads

Local duo Weekends is Adam Lempel and Brendan Sullivan, and their self-titled debut CDR has gotten a lot of play in my deck.  Great experimental rock that has always proven a rollicking good time live.

Adam Lempel

1. What is your most vivid memory of Whartscapes past? If this is your first time playing/attending, explain yourself/selves!

my friend neil getting hit in the head with double dagger’s tom. this is our first time playing so we’re pretty excited. and we’re playing on saturday which is brendan’s birthday.

2. Who are you most excited to see this year?

talk normal

3. Choose one word to describe whartscape, and what it means to you.

that would be impossible

4. When Wham City came calling and asked you to play, why did you say yes?

uhh… it’s whartscape!

Brendan Sullivan

1. What is your most vivid memory of Whartscapes past? If this is your first time playing/attending, explain yourself/selves!

Also when my friend Neal’s head collided with double dagger’s tom.

2. Who are you most excited to see this year?

Maybe the Dan Deacon Ensemble

3. Choose one word to describe whartscape, and what it means to you.

?

4. When Wham City came calling and asked you to play, why did you say yes?

We probably asked them before they asked us.

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MP3: Santa Dads – Lion Song

A friend of mine uses three categories to sort his record collection: “rock”, “pop,” and “weird shit.” Santa Dads’ Anima Mundi is definitely one for the “weird” rack, but nobody said nuthin’ ‘bout that being a bad thing. Enjoy some ukulele-beatbox songsmithing as you read on, dear audience.

(Josh, the uke-playing half of the duo, loves caps lock, apparently.)

1. What sort of headgear would Whartscape wear if it were a person?

- AN ARROW STRAIGHT UP THROUGH THE HEAD

2. Name 3 words that describe Wham City.

- FREE ETERNAL TROUBADOURS

3. What personal connection do you have to Baltimore as a city?

- BORN IN ITS BURBS – LIVED AROUND THIS SHIT 85% OF MY LIFE – DEVELOPMENT OF INSPIRATION AND IMAGINATION THRIVES IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT IS VACANT, CHEAP, AND, THEREFORE, PROUD OF IMPOVERISHMENT, VIRILITY, AND ADAPTABILITY

4. Is Whartscape like Christmas to you guys, (do you wear santa hats for it)?

- WHARTSCAPE IS LIKE THE INVERSE OF CHRISTMAS BECAUSE WE ARE THE TOYS THAT MUST PACKAGE OURSELVES AND GIVE COMPLETELY TO SOME CHOSEN STRANGERS, ONLY TO HAVE ALL OF OUR WORK TORN TO PIECES AND OURSELVES DEVOURED BY OUR THANKFUL MASTERS. NO SANTA HATS; WE WEAR THE SHACKLES OF OUR NECESSARY TRUTH. JUST KIDDING, YEAH, CHRISTMAS IS GREAT!!

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MP3: Polygons – Miami to Key West

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MP3: Polygons – Potential

If you were to interpolate that electronic music meisters Polygons have some connection to the Hexagon, you would be dead on.  Not only are the duo of Josh Atkins and Miguel Sabogal 2/3 (the other 1/3 being Karl Ekdahl) of the crucial reshapers of the old Lo-Fi space into a vibrant, collective-run venue.  They also somehow find time to drop nuggets of organic electronic goodness.  Check some of the tracks from their forthcoming album.

Miguel Sabogal

1. What is your most vivid memory of Whartscapes past? If this is your first time playing/attending, explain yourself/selves!

Whartscape 2009 is the first time that Polygons is playing. We’ve experimented with electronic music for quite some time but only started gigging under a name as of this year. As a show-goer this would be my 3rd Whartscape. Usually more bands than you can see are playing so stating a favorite moment is a bit tough. Perhaps it should be the bright image of Dan Deacon’s trippy green skull above the audience at the Floristree. That picture ended up as a screensaver on my cell phone until it broke.

2. Who are you most excited to see this year?

I’m most excited to see Chandeliers play this year. They are from Chicago and have played the Hexagon a few times this past year. They are by the most exciting live electronic band I’ve seen so far.

3. Choose one word to describe whartscape, and what it means to you.

Recalcitrant

4. When Wham City came calling and asked you to play, why did you say yes?

Both Josh and myself are friends with a person in Wham City. She had been to a few of our shows and is really supportive of our music. That’s how we got the offer to play this year. We said yes because we want to make people aware that the music we make is completely improvised. I’m personally fond of any opportunity that presents itself in which we can play our music loud and with a lot of bass.

Josh Atkins

1. What is your most vivid memory of Whartscapes past? If this is your first time playing/attending, explain yourself/selves!

Polygons has not played Whartscape before. However, two days before Whartscape last year my friend DJ invited me to play guitar and synth in his band Teenage Souls. He writes these really incredible, but super intricate electronic pieces and typically plays solo drums along to them. I remember practicing with him for the first time the day before his slot and it sounding great, but I felt like I had no idea how to remember all the changes in his songs. The next day we woke up super early, practiced again, and then carted all our gear over to the Whartscape stage. Sunday at Whartscape last year was one of those sweltering hot Baltimore days and setup was a whirlwind because the stage was being assembled as we loaded our gear onto it. I think we ended up playing two improvisations and two of his compositions that day. I got really nauseous from the heat right after we took down our gear and had to go home. I ended up passing out all afternoon and didn’t get back until the middle of Double Dagger’s set. I did get to see Denny chuck a drum into the audience which was equal parts horrifying and punk-as-fuck.

2. Who are you most excited to see this year?
Equally excited for Chandeliers, Liturgy, Beastmaster, Soft Pink Truth, Leprechaun Catering, Wolf Eyes, DJ Dog Dick, and Nautical Almanac.

3. Choose one word to describe whartscape, and what it means to you.
Chaos. This is about as DIY as festivals of this scale get. Pretty much anything can happen for better or worse.

4. When Wham City came calling and asked you to play, why did you say yes?
Who wouldn’t say yes? We don’t have any egos to stroke. Great festival, great bands, great people running it = no brainer.

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Teen noise-niks Needle Gun should not be overlooked.  Their age belies their impressive experience and aggressive experimentalism.  Their inclusion amongst the vast and diverse MT6 roster speaks volumes.

1. What is your most vivid memory of Whartscapes past? If this is your first time playing/attending, explain yourself/selves!

I only went to whartscape 07, got to do some improv with human host during the day, do not remember most the bands that day but the location and weather were super rad, the show that night at floristree from my memory was super crowded and hot, first time ng playing whartscape though.

2. Who are you most excited to see this year?
Infinity window and C Spencer plus the local goodies

3. Choose one word to describe whartscape, and what it means to you.
“Gathering” hopefully it will be much like the gathering of many many juggalos looking for the same stage with a miller or bud in their hand

4. When Wham City came calling and asked you to play, why did you say yes?
good bands, good freinds, why not?